Stirrup



M. M. ZELLERS.

STIRRUP.

APPLICATION BLED um: 20. 1918.

1,303, 1 42. Patented May 6,1919.

MAHLON M. ZELLERS, 0F BELLEVILLE, ILLINOIS.

STIRRUl.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 20, 1918. Serial No. 240,889.

To all whom it may concern:

Be'it known that I, MAHLON M. ZELLERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Belleville, in the county of St. Clair and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stirrups, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention is to provide a safety construction of saddle stirrup of a type which will automatically release the foot of the rider in the event he is accidentally thrown from the horse or otherwise unseatedfrom the saddle. In other words, the construction involved is designed to prevent the horse from dragging the rider and embodies broadly, in combination with a stirrup having what 1 term for convenience a movable foot releasing part, of means operable upon abnormal or excessive movement of the stirrup support or strap to effect foot releasing action.

More specifically, my object is to provide a stirrup with a movable section capable of assuming an open position, a latch arrangement normally holding the section closed, and an operative connection between the latch means and a fixed point spaced in relation thereto so that when the stirrup moves rearwardly a prescribed extent, due to drag by the foot of the rider when unseated, the

latch is tripped and the foot thereby released.

. These and such other objects as may hereinafter appear are attained by the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter specifically described and claimed. Reference will now be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a stirrup construction embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional View showing more clearly the latch arrangement;

Fig. i is a combined view showing the end and side elevation of the upper stirrup cross piece; and

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the locking pawl used in this device.

Throughout the following detail description and on the several figures of the drawings, similar parts are referred to by like reference characters.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates the stirrup strap which is, as customary, swingingly supported from the saddle, said strap carrying at its lower end the stirrup which in the present instance comprises the relatively stationary side 2 and the movable section 3. This latter section is pivotally connected to the bottom stirrupcross piece at '1 and the latter is preferably similarly connected to the side 2 of the stirrup at 5. The short side 3 carries the spacing stud or upper cross piece 6 riveted at one side or otherwise fixed so as to move with the hinged or pivoted side 3 when the latter is opened in re leasing the foot. The stud is provided with a reduced extremity 7 which is received in a suitable opening in the side 2 of the stirrup and furthermore the stud is provided with a groove 8 in which the detent pawl 9 is pivotally mounted as at 10. The free end of this pawl also projects through the opening in the side of the stirrup above referred to sufliciently far to permit the hooked extremity to project entirely through an arouate shaped slot 11 formed in the latch plate 12. This plate is angular in form and is pivoted to the relatively stationary side of the stirrup at 13, and one arm of said plate carries a suitable weight 1 L while the other arm has connected thereto the releasing strap 15. The last mentioned member, it will be observed from Fig. 2,eXtends forwardly of the stirrup and its supporting strap and is connected at its other end to the pummel of the saddle, or some other equivalent fixed point.

The strap 15 is of sufiicient length to permit of a reasonable amount of swinging of the stirrup strap such as would be desirable to accommodate.movements of the rider in riding, but the length of the same is so adjusted that when the stirrup strap moves an Patented May 6, 191 9.

gested, is arcuate and the opposite end thereof is farther from the pivot 13 than the first mentioned left hand end so that when the latch plate is shifted on its pivot by the tightening of the strap 15 the pawl 9 is allowed to drop down or is forced in the groove 8 of the cross piece 6 until the hook is freed from its engagement with the side 2, whereupon the movable section 8 of the stirrup is permitted to swing upon its pivot and the stirrup thus opened to release the foot of the rider. As above stated, this release takes place when for any reason the stirrup and its supporting strap have moved rearwardly an abnormal extent due to the pull of the riders foot in this direction after he has been thrown or otherwise unseated from the saddle.

Under normal conditions the weight it tends to maintain the latch plate in the locked position shown in Fig. 2 so that there will be no likelihood of accidental disengagement of the foot releasin'g section 3 in the manner above described. As has been suggested, the extent of movement which is permit-ted of the stirrup and its strap may readily be adjusted by proper adjustment of the strap 15.

It will be obvious from the foregoing description that the type of stirrup involved in this invention is sufliciently strong to withstand "the necessary strains but is capable of quickly releasing the riders foot automatically in the event accident occurs so that the riderwill not be dragged to death.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. A safety stirrup of the class described comprising a relatively stationary section and a pivoted section forming a closed stir- Y rup, latch means for holding said pivoted section in closed position, a weight member cooperating with said latch means for maintaining the same in engaged relation with respect to said pivoted section, and means for actuating said latch means against the holding action of the weight means.

In'a device of the class described, the combination of a stirrup strap anda stirrup connected thereto including a pivoted section, means for holding the free end of said pivoted section in operative relation with respect to the relatively stationary section comprising a detent pawl, and a latch mem ber engaged by said pawl, and means for releasing said latch member comprising a strap connected thereto at one end and at its other end having fixed connection with the saddle, whereby upon. swinging movement of the stirrup beyond a predetermined extent the latch member is released from the pawl aforesaid.

3. A safety stirrup of the class described comprising a relatively stationary side and a movable side, latch means for holding said movable side in cooperation with respect to the'stationarysidecomprising a detent pawl carried by said movable side, a latch plate carried by said stationary side through which the pawl aforesaid projects, and a weight member carried by said latch plate for normally holding the same in engaged position with respect to said pawl.

4. A safety stirrup of the class described comprising a relatively stationary side and a movable side, latch means for holding said movable side in cooperation with respect to the stationary side comprising a detent pawl carried by said movable side, a latch plate carried by said stationary side through which the pawl aforesaid projects, a weight member carried by said latch plate for normally holding the same in engaged position with respect to said pawl, and a strap member connected to the latch plate for actuating the latter to effect disengagement of the plate from the pawl and release of the movable side of the stirrup. V

5. A safety stirrup of the class described comprising a relatively stationary side and a movable side pivotally connected thereto, a cross piece intermediate the respective sides and carried by the movable 'side aforesaid, said cross piece having a groove therein, a detent pawl pivotally mounted in said groove and projecting through the relatively stationary side of the stirrup, an angleshaped latch plate pivotally mounted upon the stationary side and having an arcuate slot through which the detent pawl extends for locking engagement, a weight member.

carried by said latch plate and holding the latter in engaging position with respect to said pawl, and a strap connected to said latch plate for shifting the latter with respect to the pawl to effect disengagement and release of the movable side.

6. A safety stirrup of the class described comprising a relatively stationary side and a movable side, means carried by one of said sides and engageable with the other to normally hold the movable side in closed position, means mounted on the other side and engageable with the 'last mentioned means for holding it in its engaged position aforesaid, and means for actuating the last mentioned means incident to excessive movement of the stirrup to thereby actuate the first mentioned holding means.

7. A safety stirrup of the class described comprising a relatively stationary side and a movable side pivotally connected thereto, a hook member carried by said movable side and engageable with the stationary side, latch means arranged adjacent to the hook member when in engagement with the stationary side and holding said hooked member in such engagement, and means for actuating said latch member to thereby force the hook member out of engagement with the stationary side and permit movement of the movable side.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

MAHLON M. ZELLERS.

Copies 0! this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 01! intents, Washington, D. 0." 

